Where did those walleye disappear?
By: Ron C. Hustvedt, Jr.
Springtime across the Midwest is an ever-changing time with a drastic change between April and June both above and under the water. It seems that most anglers know where to fish during the spawn and postspawn. It also seems like anglers know the midlake structure to fish in the summer. What happens to the walleye inbetween these time periods? You can connect the dots and figure it out but that’s easier said than done. Were not talking a few days here, either. This transition period lasts a few weeks to a month. If you are like me, you don’t want to be sitting at your desk getting work done when you could be on the lake. Anglers often don’t know how to react during this transition time. Some will go up shallow and fish the same areas they did during the postspawn. Others head out to midlake structure. The walleye, meanwhile, settle in that mid-range between the two. The big females are in that mid-range transition by natures calling. After spawning, they go deeper to rest. The males, on the other hand, are there because they were pushed out of the shallows by boat and fishing traffic. The exceptions to this are those second-class shallows. You know the areas. They aren’t the prime locations but they look almost the same on your LakeMaster chip. Most anglers don’t fish these locations but there are walleye to be found and boat traffic hasn’t pushed them deeper. If fishing second-rate fishing areas is too rough on your ego then it’s time to get out there on that midlake transition. This can be really easy if you have a good liquid crystal graph and quality mapping software. Water temperatures at this time are in the mid to upper 50s and beginning pushing that 60-degree mark. I’ll keep an eye on my depthfinder watching for the bottom color to change from yellow to red meaning I’ve switched from a hard bottom to a soft bottom. Every walleye lake in the Midwest has a transition like this and it’s where you want to start fishing.
As soon as that change shows up check your splitscreen for the map and you’ll often find you are right on a one-foot contour. This is where I’m going to start fishing, not the exact location but this contour line. Actually about 50 yards on either side of this contour line.
Why are they there?
Simply put—in the summertime walleye like soft bottom areas and this is the shallowest of the soft bottom. The baitfish are out there, Mayfly nymphs are too. As the water warms from shallow to deep this transition edge is the first soft bottom area to warm up prompting those nymphs to wiggle up out of the mud. The mayfly hatch will eventually be deeper, and much more significant, but right now this is the only game in town so that’s where the walleye are holding up. Why didn’t they go all the way to midlake structure? They didn’t have to. The food is here so the walleye stopped. All those boats buzzing by you forget that the walleye don’t move as fast. Let those anglers drive right past you and the walleye in this transition zone. When the midlake warms enough the walleye will move again, but for now where you are is where the walleye are and that’s always a good thing.
Transition time tactics
Slow-drifting livebait rigs is the best way to fish this transition area. I like a single hook spinner with a leech. If you can contact fish and see them up high off the bottom you can go after them with slip bobbers but these walleye are usually scattered over a long stretch of water and not in schools. Trolling and drifting allows me to cover more ground. Jigging can provide some success along this transition but it’s just not as effective because the walleye aren’t concentrated. Long runs, such as the ones were fishing, require lures that cover ground and jigs don’t do that so well. Walleye aren’t schooled up in this time period because they aren’t feeding heavily just yet. Earlier in the season the bait was shallow and walleye didn’t need to be in schools because food was all over. Later on, when the food sources are deeper, walleye school up and work together to eat. Transition area fishing has the walleye cruising the edge of this bottom content change following food sources and doing so alone or as a pair. These are the reasons for needing to cover as much area possible. Trolling crankbaits with three-way rigs and trolling plastic worms also works quite well in these locations. Both allow you to cover plenty of water and provide more variables in your presentation based on lure color, size and action. Plastic worms, like grubs and ringworms work great. I also like trolling a Shadling with a threeway rig so I have complete control over where that crankbait is tracking. Only let out enough line to let that sinker contact the bottom and then crank up two or three times. You want your bell sinker or bottom bouncer just above the bottom rather than dragging up mud. Whether trolling or rigging, don’t just follow the contour. Work both sides of it. On lakes where it is allowed, night fishing is extremely effective in this transition area, especially with crankbaits. The bigger females that usually aren’t going during the day will turn on at night and hit a shadling with reckless abandon. When to fish? The simple answer is whenever you can get on the water but I firmly believe that prime feeding times are best this time of the year. We’re talking those times you’ve heard about since you were a kid. Sunrise and sunset.
Lazier approach
If all this midlake, contour, transition area fishing is not your cup of tea there’s still some hope. Try anchoring and bobbering those same shoreline structures that were hot at opener but now a little off of the shallows. Those six to ten foot shallows that were hot on the opener are going to be hot right now in 15 feet of water at sunrise and sunset. Wherever you end up fishing, don’t make the mistake of so many anglers. Instead of driving right over this mid-range structure, slow the boat down, focus on your electronics and get ready to have some tremendous walleye success in that time period when other anglers “can’t find” a walleye.
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